Saskatoon Apricot Squash Muffins
I am the type of person who adds in extra vegetables and extra fruits to every recipe! I once made a meatloaf and added so many veggies that it was more of a veggie loaf with some meat added in. My boyfriend politely stated “I thought meatloaf was only meat”… not in this house! These muffins are another creation that is mostly fruits and vegetables but actually works well together to make a moist muffin. Using squash helps bind the muffin with the gluten-free flour and sneaks in some vegetables. These are a filling and guilt free snack for the entire family. You can freeze them to keep fresh as go-to snacks. Note that since there is so much fresh fruit, they will go bad more quickly. I recommend making a double batch and freezing half of them to extend the life of the fruits. You can have them long after apricot season has passed and love them just the same.
I also love to use organic local ingredients and these apricots came from a colleague’s backyard tree. The saskatoons were handpicked by my mom all the way from Manitoba and frozen to keep them fresh. And the squash came from my garden, so it was really a collaboration of flavours and friends and family to make these possible. You could definitely sub in zucchini for yellow squash and blueberries for saskatoons, but for you prairie people, you know saskatoons are better.
Saskatoon Apricot Squash Muffins
Ingredients
2 free-range eggs
½ cup monk fruit sweetener
½ cup coconut oil - melted
½ tsp vanilla extract
1 cup yellow squash or zucchin - shredded and moisture squeezed out
1½ cups gluten-free flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp fine sea salt
¾ cup fresh or frozen saskatoons
½ cup fresh apricots - chopped
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350F and line muffin tins or use silicon
2. In a large bowl beat eggs for about 2 minutes until well mixed and starting to fluff. Add in monk fruit and beat another 30 seconds
3. With hand mixer on, slowly pour in melted coconut oil and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. Beat in yellow squash.
4. Add in all remaining dry ingredients except the saskatoons and apricots and mix well. Note: the dough will be very thick but you need it this way since the fresh fruit will create a lot of moisture during baking
5. Fold in saskatoons and apricots and portion into ~12 muffins
6. Bake for ~25 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean